Helping Paws
by MegaMon2580
Summary: Six times Ryder didn't ask for help but got it anyway and the one time he asked for help and got it. *K Plus for mentions of past childhood abuse, but nothing major*
1. Sunburn (Mr Porter)

Okay, so, I've had this story done since Christmas of 2017. I forgot about it until I was looking through my Google Drive and found this. I then just... Polished it up. That, and I didn't know how others would react to another PAW Patrol story. But, since my Inktober Writing Prompt back in October got so many views, I figured I'd try this.

These little one-shots go hand-in-hand with the AUish story I'm writing. This is kind of the 'since this happened in the past, this happened in response' type thing.

And yes, they're supposed to be short, okay?

...

Yeah, I'll shut up now.

* * *

Ryder and the pups were at the beach playing volleyball. The teams were Chase, Skye, and Marshall against Rocky, Rubble, and Zuma, Ryder the referee. So far, Chase's team was winning. The ball went back and forth until Ryder heard his pup-pad ring.

"Hello, Ryder here."

"Hello, Ryder. It's Mr Porter."

"Hey, Mr Porter. What's up?"

"Well, Alex and I are at the beach near the North Side. Alex has a sunburn, but I cannot get him to come home with me so I can treat it. Do you think you and the pups can help me out?"

"No problem! No job is too big, no pup is too small!"

_**~Jump to when they get Alex to come home~**_

"Thanks so much for the help, Ryder," Mr Porter said.

"No problem! Whenever you're in trouble, just yelp for help!" Ryder responded.

"I will, Ryder, I will. Speaking of…"

Mr Porter paused and looked at Ryder's face. The pups and Alex did too. They could see that his face was a faint pinkish-red in colour, especially on his cheeks and nose. Ryder looked away while Mr Porter chuckled.

"It looks like someone other than Alex has a sunburn."

Ryder whipped his head back towards Mr Porter and widened his eyes.

"No. No way. I'm good, really."

"Come on, Ryder. Please? I have to get the sunburn stuff too," Alex pleaded.

Ryder sighed. He knew he couldn't make Alex too upset, especially since Mr Porter was right there.

"Okay okay. You win."

The pups giggled and they all walked into Mr Porter's shop. Mr Porter went to retrieve something and returned with a bottle of clear green gel.

"Okay, Alex. I'm going to spread this gel on your sunburns," Mr Porter said.

"Okay, grandpa."

Mr Porter squeezed some of the green gel onto his hand. He then took his finger and used it to spread some of it onto Alex's face.

"H-hey! That tickles!" Alex giggled. He then shivered, "and that's cold."

"It's supposed to be cold, Alex. It takes the pain of the sunburn away," Mr Porter said with a smile.

Once Mr Porter was done, he turned to Ryder.

"Your turn, Ryder. Do you want me to do it, or do you want to do it?" Mr Porter asked.

The leader of the PAW Patrol bit his lower left lip, a sign that he was embarrassed to say what he was about to say.

"You can do it," Ryder murmured.

Mr Porter widened his eyes a little before nodding. He came closer and put the gel on his index finger to spread onto Ryder's face when Ryder flinched back slightly. It took a couple of tries before Mr Porter was able to touch Ryder without him recoiling back.

"Sorry, Mr Porter," Ryder apologized.

"It's not your fault, Ryder, remember?"

Ryder sighed through his nose, "I know."

The pups and Alex looked confused, but Ryder gave Chase, Marshall, Skye, Rocky, Zuma, and Rubble a look that clearly said that they didn't want to know and that it was for a later date. Mr Porter stepped back when he was done.

"There you go, Ryder."

"Thanks, Mr Porter."

The pups and Alex went off to the park to go play (after asking Ryder and Mr Porter, of course), Mr Porter and Ryder following behind.

"Thank you, Ryder."

"What for? You're the one who helped me."

"For trusting me enough to let me get close to you so I could put the sunburn relief gel on."

"Oh, that. It was nothing."

"You and I both know it wasn't nothing."

"Mmm."

"But still. Thank you."

He couldn't help it. Ryder smiled at the sincerity in Mr Porter's voice.

"You're welcome, Mr Porter."

They then watched the pups and Alex play at the park until it was time to go home. He took a little gamble and rested his head on the elder man's shoulder. He felt Mr Porter start a little but then sigh contently and run a hand along his back.

Yes, Ryder trusted Mr Porter. He knew that Mr Porter trusted him, and now Mr Porter knew he trusted him back. It was a good feeling, Ryder decided. He hoped that the feeling didn't go away.

* * *

So, good? Hate it? Brilliant? So bad you've got to wash your eyes out with bleach? Lemme know! Should I continue this?

...

Meh, I probably will anyway, but I wanna know if I should just save my fingers.

~*MegaMon2580*~


	2. Snack (Farmer Yumi)

Three reviews in one day with two of them within twenty minutes of each other asking for more. Wow! I'm so, so happy! Thank you guys so, so much! On with chapter two!

* * *

Ryder and the pups were cleaning up the yard from the storm from the night before when Marshall came running toward them. He crashed into the pile of wood and sticks, to which he popped his head out and shouted out an "I'm okay". The pups and Ryder giggled when Ryder's pup-pad rang.

"Hello, Ryder here."

"Hey, Ryder. The storm blew in a lot of tree branches and knocked over Bettina's pen. Could you and the PAW Patrol come help clean up? And maybe fix Bettina's pen?" Farmer Yumi asked.

"No problem, Farmer Yumi! No job is too big, no pup is too small!"

_**~Jump to when the pups are done helping Farmer Yumi~**_

"Thank you pups so much for helping me," Farmer Yumi said.

"Whenever you're in trouble, just yelp for help!" Ryder exclaimed.

Suddenly, the sound of grumbling rippled through the air. Everyone froze and looked at Rubble.

"That wasn't me," he protested.

"Well, whoever it was, I'm sure you are all hungry. Am I right?" Farmer Yumi asked.

All of the pups agreed. Another gurgle cut through the air and everyone looked at Rubble again. He laughed.

"Okay, that time it was me."

Everyone laughed along with him.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing that I made apple pies, pumpkin pies, as well as apple and pumpkin pies. I was going to bring them to you later today, but you can have them now," Farmer Yumi said.

The pups cheered and flipped. They began running to her house, Ryder and Farmer Yumi walking behind them. When the pups were a pretty good distance away, Farmer Yumi stopped Ryder. He winced slightly before turning to face her.

"I know it was you, Ryder," Farmer Yumi said.

"You know what was me?" Ryder countered.

"I know that it was your stomach that was complaining about it being empty."

An embarrassed chuckle.

"Yeah, you got me."

"So, when was the last time you ate?"

"This morning?"

His abdomen growled loudly in protest of his lie. Ryder put his left hand on it and he used his right hand to rub the back of his head sheepishly. Farmer Yumi placed a gentle hand to his shoulder.

"Well, I know for a fact that it wasn't this morning. That rumbling of your belly says otherwise. I'll ask again; when was the last time you ate?"

Ryder bit his lower left lip.

"Yesterday morning," he murmured. He then bit his right lip, a sign he thought someone was about to either yell at him or just yell in general. But to his surprise, Farmer Yumi didn't do any of that. She simply smiled sorrowfully.

"Okay. Thank you for telling me the truth. But now we need to get something in that tummy of yours."

Ryder smiled softly and nodded. Inside the house, the pups were already next to their food bowls.

"Alright. One pumpkin and apple pie for Marshall and another for Rubble; one apple pie for Skye and another for Chase; and one pumpkin pie for Rocky and another for Zuma."

The pups gobbled the pies down, a few even giving loud belches. Everyone tittered and the pups went out of the house to play around the farm (after asking if it was okay, of course). Once the pups were gone, Farmer Yumi turned to look Ryder in the eye.

"I also made you a pie"

"What flavour is it?"

"Your favourite," she paused, "apple and blueberry."

Ryder's eyes lit up.

"I'll give you a slice, but eat it slowly."

"M'kay."

She nodded and gave him a plate. As he was eating it, it settled in his stomach like lead. But, he knew he'd feel better in a few hours. What he didn't tell Farmer Yumi was that he was beginning to feel faint from the lack of food. But he also felt a warm feeling of trust, similar to the feeling with Mr Porter. He trusted Farmer Yumi, just as she trusted him.

Maybe one day, he'd even tell her everything.

But not yet.

He wasn't quite ready.

* * *

So, how was that? Good? Bad? Meh?

Storytime! This particular one-shot was inspired by how the PAW Patrol never seemed to eat after a mission or before. Not really, anyway. So, I kind of twisted it into this. That and the episode about the pups saving an extreme lunch hadn't come out yet.

...

Can you tell I'm enjoying this?

It's because there's practically no stories out there with Ryder whump. It's almost always the pups, and I figured it was time to fix that :]

~*MegaMon2580*~


	3. Height (Cap'n Turbot)

I love the reviews! They're encouraging me to 1) post more and 2) write more of that slight AU I've been working on for the fandom.

One of the reviews said something about how Ryder has trust issues and is learning to trust again. Yes, this is true, but only to an extent. More'll get revealed as I type up the story I'm talking about. It's basically the origins of the PAW Patrol (I know I've seen some fanfics already about this, but I figured I'd take some time to do one myself :P). Anyway... Here's the next chapter!

* * *

The pups and Ryder were cleaning up the beach with Cap'n Turbot, who had called earlier to ask for the help.

"Thank you so much for the help, Ryder," Cap'n Turbot said.

"No problem. Whenever there's trouble, just yelp for help!"

Cap'n Turbot laughed and went to go pick up some more rubbish from the water while the pups and Ryder went to tidy up the rest of the beach. The PAW Patrol's leader saw an umbrella stuck in a nearby tree and went to pull it down, only to realise he couldn't reach it. He jumped and touched the handle, grasping it with his hands before tugging, only for it to get stuck higher and higher in the tree.

Eventually, the wind caught the open umbrella and carried him and the umbrella into the air. Ryder looked down at the beach and gasped. There was miniature sized everything; Cap'n Turbot, the pups, the rubbish on the beach, everything. His mouth opened in a silent scream. He'd be okay, right?

Looking around, he could see he was almost as high as the bridge, but he wasn't on the shallow side. Suddenly, the umbrella broke, and Ryder began to fall. Only then did he let out a high pitched shriek (although he'd never admit it later to anyone) as his warm body plunged into the chilly blue sea. He immediately began to swim towards the surface, his head popping up and he gasped for air, his heart beating quickly.

That was scary; very scary. Wally the Walrus swam underneath him, which caused him to stiffen before he relaxed upon realising who it was. Wally swam him to shore and Ryder closed his eyes. Now with the adrenaline rush going out, he felt kinda tired…

* * *

The pups and Cap'n Turbot looked up when they heard a scream.

"Did you pups hear that?" Cap'n Turbot asked.

"I know I did," Chase said, the other pups agreeing with him.

They all looked in the direction of the sound and saw, to their horror, Ryder quickly plummeting to the sea. Wally, who was next to them, swam quickly to where Ryder had landed. They could see Ryder's head pop up from under the water and Wally going under him to bring him back to shore. Cap'n Turbot ran into the water until he was waist deep to get the PAW Patrol's leader. He picked Ryder up bridal style upon seeing his eyes closed. Once he was on sand, the pups ran up to the two.

"What happened? Is Ryder okay?" Marshall asked.

"I think so, but we'd better get him warm and dry. I don't want to risk hypothermia or pneumonia."

"Hypohernea and phnamoia? What are those?" Rubble asked. Cap'n Turbot laughed.

"Hypothermia and pneumonia. Hypothermia is when someone gets too cold and cannot warm up. Pneumonia is when someone's lungs fill up with fluid. Usually, it's only one lung, but it can be both."

The pups let out a collective 'oh' and watched as the captain unzipped Ryder's jacket, his white long-sleeved shirt underneath. He knew that taking off all wet clothing would help Ryder, but he also knew that Ryder wouldn't ever trust him again. So he resorted to just taking off the boy's jacket, shoes, and socks, as well as rolling his pants up above his ankles, and rolling the sleeves of the shirt up to his elbows. Satisfied with his work, he took a towel and wrapped Ryder up in it.

"Okay, pups. You think we can watch him and clean up the beach at the same time?" Cap'n Turbot asked.

The pups agreed. Just seeing Ryder plummet like that had them unsettled. They couldn't imagine how Ryder had felt. That scream though… that was something they'd never forget. Ever.

* * *

Ryder woke up with a soft groan. He noticed that he was still at the beach (he could tell by the scent of the seawater) and he was wrapped in a soft towel. His pants and long-sleeved shirt were on his lithe frame, but his jacket, shoes, and socks were gone. His hair was stiff with seawater, but that was the least of his worries.

He finally opened his eyes to see the sun setting in the distance. The pups and Cap'n Turbot stood off to the side next to the rubbish. The captain made eye contact with him but didn't say anything to the pups (to which Ryder was grateful). The pups ran to the Lookout, somehow knowing Ryder would return soon. Cap'n Turbot made his way over to him.

"You're awake. How do you feel?" Cap'n Turbot asked.

"Warm and dry," Ryder paused before he kept going. "Thank you. For helping me."

"It was no problem. Say, how did you get so high up to begin with? Last time I checked, you were on the ground."

"I was, but I was trying to get an umbrella that was stuck in a tree. I managed to get the handle, but the wind caught it and I just tagged along. When I was on the side of the bridge where the water wasn't shallow anymore, the umbrella broke, and I just… fell."

They lapsed into silence before Ryder broke it again.

"It was scary. I didn't think that I was so high up, but after dropping like I did… I didn't know what to do," Ryder hesitated. Cap'n Turbot placed a hand on his upper back, to which Ryder stiffened before relaxing again. "You know that saying of your life flashes before your eyes before you die?

"Yeah?"

"All I can say is that it's true."

After the words left his lips, Ryder felt tears gather in his eyes. He let one fall before he ducked his head. The captain was at a loss for words. Ryder was never the type to pour his feelings out like that. So he gathered the boy into a hug and let Ryder cry. The tears were silent, but he knew they were there.

Eventually, Ryder stopped and snuggled closer to Cap'n Turbot to test the waters. Hearing no complaints from the captain, he closed his eyes and fell into an exhausted sleep. He knew he could trust Cap'n Turbot, just as he did Mr Porter and Farmer Yumi. And that feeling didn't go away.

* * *

So, how was it? Good? Bad? Meh? Lemme know!

This was the longest one. Yes, everyone's kind of OOC, but I don't care. This was how it turned out. But, I'm happy everyone seems to be enjoying this!

~*MegaMon2580*~


	4. Touch (Mayor Goodway)

I love the reviews coming in! They're so kind! Thank you all so much! Anyway, here's chapter four! More angst on the way (more so next chapter).

* * *

Ryder rolled his eyes at the situation he and Mayor Goodway had somehow gotten into. The elevator in City Hall (roll with me here) was broken, so he and the pups went to help fix it. But now, Mayor Goodway and Ryder were stuck in the elevator, the doors shut. He told the pups to try and get the doors open before resorting to the other townsfolk before the connection was lost on his pup pad. He didn't like being in small spaces, but he could deal with it. The mayor was panicking, and there wasn't anything that he said that helped her.

"What are we gonna do, what are we gonna do, what are we gonna do?!" Mayor Goodway panicked while pacing. With as fast as she spoke he was surprised that he could even understand what she was saying.

"It'll be okay, mayor, but I need you to look at me and calm down," Ryder said evenly.

"Calm down? Calm down?! I'm perfectly calm!"

"Okay okay. Take a deep breath in for me, alright?"

She followed his orders before he instructed her to take another deep breath, followed by more. Soon, her anxiety tranquillized some, but she wasn't completely relaxed.

"You did great! Do you think you can you tell me what happened now?" Ryder asked softly.

"Yes, well…" the mayor paused, "Chickaletta and I were on our way to the upstairs when… wait, where is Chickaletta? Chickaletta? Chickaletta?! Where are you?!"

She began to panic again, only instead of pacing, she grabbed Ryder's upper arms and shook him.

"My purse chicken isn't in here! She must be so scared and so worried about her momma. We have to get out of here!"

When Ryder didn't respond, she paused to look him in the eye. His eyes were wide and slightly glossed over, his breathing coming out in gasps.

"Ryder? Are you okay?" Mayor Goodway asked.

"I-I'm f-fine," he responded breathlessly.

"You don't seem 'fine'."

He stiffened up even more than she thought possible and she let go of his arms. She then used her fingers to gently rub a stray tear away.

"Talk to me, amigo (friend)," she spoke softly.

"Non merci (no thanks)," he responded.

"Why not?"

"It's not exactly pleasant, mayor."

"I'm sure it's not that bad."

"It's not horrible, but it's not good either."

They lapsed into silence again. Mayor Goodway sat on the floor, her back against the wall, Ryder following her example. He could see that the mayor was still nervous, but she wasn't showing it. He knew it was because of him losing his nerve just moments ago. The mayor suddenly sighed.

"Let's play a game, shall we?" she suggested.

"What game?" Ryder asked.

"How about truth or dare?"

"You start."

"Okay then. Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"How old are you?"

"I'm ten. Truth or dare, Mayor Goodway?"

"Ten? Wow, I'd thought you were twelve with how calm you are with every situation. And truth."

"How many mayors were of your family?"

"Oh, the first was great-great-great-great grandpa Grover, but all of them were Goodway's. Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Where did you live before you came to Adventure Bay? I know you are from another town, but I don't know which one."

Ryder went quiet.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"No no, it's just… where I was last was not a great time for me. But I love it here in Adventure Bay. So bright and just… full of life. Truth or dare?"

They kept going until the doors of the elevator opened. From that experience, Ryder felt that he'd given the mayor the gift of trust. And he wasn't complaining in the least. Who knew that all of this started with something as simple as a touch?

* * *

Yeah, okay, it isn't my best one. Even I know that. But it was all I could think of at the time! Besides, who doesn't love seeing someone who is normally super calm turn anxious?

~*MegaMon2580*~


	5. Scars (Alex)

Oops, so, not as angsty as I had thought, but there's some hidden in here if you squint.

Also, I should mention that the one-shots aren't supposed to be long, so I had to sacrifice something. That something turned out to be the missions themselves. Sorry about that! But, at the time I wrote this (a year ago), I couldn't write very good middle parts. So, I left them out. That, and I've already pre-typed every chapter since I finished this story technically a year ago. There's no OC's either.

Sorry to disappoint!

* * *

"Ryder Ryder! Guess what, guess what?!" Alex asked while running up to Ryder.

"What? What?" Ryder countered playing along with Alex.

"Grandpa said he found a scar on my forehead! And we don't know how it got there! Grandpa said you might know."

"Oh?"

"Yeah!"

"Where is it?"

Alex showed Ryder the small scar. It was about an eighth of an inch long and it went along his forehead vertically. You couldn't see it unless you were right next to him, and even then it was hard to tell.

"It looks like you ran into the corner of the wall or table when you were younger," Ryder responded.

"How do you know?"

Ryder chuckled. He kneeled down so Alex could see a similar scar on his own forehead, "I know because the same thing happened to me."

"Oh. Why did you run into a wall or table corner?"

"My mom was chasing me around the house when I was about two or three. I wasn't paying attention to what was in front of me, and I just kinda smacked into the wall corner."

Alex giggled along with Ryder.

"Do you have any other scars?"

"Why do you wanna know?"

"Well, I have another scar on the back of my hand, but I don't know how that got there."

The scar wasn't very big. It was perpendicular to his fingers. Ryder held up his left hand, "cat or dog scratch."

Alex kept on finding little scratches and scars and Ryder would explain what they were. Once he couldn't find any more on his body, he looked at Ryder.

"Do you have any scars on you that I don't have?"

Ryder froze. How did he get wrapped up in this again?

"Y-yes, but-" Ryder began before Alex cut him off.

"Can you show me?"

Silence. Ryder didn't want to say no, but he didn't want to show Alex either.

"Well, there's one on my back," Ryder started, "but I don't know how I got it."

It was a lie and he knew it. There were many, many more from 'clumsiness', but he didn't want to think about that.

"Oh. Okay."

Alex went off to play, getting the answers he was looking for. Ryder let out a sigh. One day, Alex would understand, but not right now at his age. He was too young to get exposed to that kind of stuff. Ryder trusted Alex with the secret of one of his scars (Mr Porter too, he figured), but not all. And that, he decided, was okay with him.

* * *

Oof. This one had been hard to write. But here we go. Next chapter has more angst, I promise!

~*MegaMon2580*~


	6. Nerves (Katie)

As I said before, here's the more angsty one. It shows a little bit more of what happened to Ryder in the past without it being graphic. Anyway, here's chapter six!

* * *

Ryder felt his hands shaking at his side. Mayor Humdinger was coming to Adventure Bay to talk to Mayor Goodway. And as per usual, Mayor Goodway wanted him to be there 'in case of an emergency'. He wasn't even sure what 'emergency' she was talking about. He stuffed his hands into his vest pockets and kept on walking to City Hall. He had told the pups to stay at the Lookout, but to be on guard. Mayor Humdinger was already at the front doors when Ryder got there. They didn't exchange any words since Mayor Goodway was also there.

"Ah! Here they are! Ready to go?" the mayor asked kindly.

They both nodded and they followed her into City Hall.

"As I am well aware, Mayor Humdinger, you wanted to discuss the Lookout?"

"Hmm, yes. I did," Mayor Humdinger responded.

"What is about it that has you interested?"

"Well, I'm not interested in the building. I'm more interested in who's living there."

"If this is about the pups, I don't know why you're so-"

"Not the pups. The boy."

It got deathly quiet. The blond mayor looked Ryder in the eye.

"Your father came by. He mentioned that he hadn't seen you in a while and that he wanted to spend time with you."

Ryder's face turned a couple of shades lighter than white. There was true curiosity in Mayor Humdinger's face.

"Tell me, dear boy. What had made you not want to see your own father?"

"N-none of y-your b-business," Ryder spat out.

"Oh, did I hit a sore spot?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

The male mayor's eyes softened while Ryder's eyes hardened.

"I do have another question. Just something I noticed on my own. Your left - my right - eye is slightly darker than your right - my left. Has that always been the case?"

"No."

"Really now? How is it normally?"

"Just like you said."

"Oh? Do they change how dark or light they are on any given day?"

"No."

"Than how is it different? You just said that your right eye wasn't always lighter than your left."

"They used to be a different colour. Happy now?"

"What colour?"

Ryder didn't say anything. Mayor Humdinger was about to ask again, but the boy cut him off in a whisper.

"Blue and green. My left eye used to be green and my right blue."

Mayor Goodway widened her eyes.

"Back to the matter at hand. Your father. He has requested you come back home for a while now, yet I haven't said a word. Why do you not want to go back?"

"I just don't."

"Why."

"Because I don't, and I won't."

"Why?!"

"Because my father is lying to you! He hates me! He doesn't want me to just visit! I have the scars to prove it!"

The tension was so thick, you could cut it with a butter knife. When Ryder realised what he had said, his face went paper white. He got up from the chair and fast walked out the doors, muttering an 'excuse me' on his way out.

Ryder considered letting out a scream of frustration when he saw Katie walking to Mr Porter's shop to get her groceries. He walked in step with her and gave a soft smile.

"Oh, hi, Ryder. Whatcha up to?" Katie asked.

"I just… wanted to say hi," Ryder told her.

"There's something you're not telling me, isn't there."

"You could say that, yeah."

"What is it?"

"Let's just say that Mayors Goodway and Humdinger know a little bit about my father."

"Do they know all of it?"

"No, they don't. But I think they have a pretty good idea now."

They stopped in front of Mr Porter's shop and Katie went inside to get her groceries. She returned with the bags in her arms. Ryder offered to carry a couple. She accepted his help and they walked to her vet clinic in silence. After putting the groceries away, Katie had Ryder sit in front of her.

"Tell me everything that happened in there."

And tell her he did. He told her about Humdinger telling him his father was wondering where he was, about him telling Humdinger about his eyes, about revealing that his dad hated him, every little detail.

"Wait, I didn't know your left eye used to be green and your right used to be blue."

"They still are, but I hide them with brown coloured contacts."

"Can I see them?"

Silence. Ryder simply nodded after a moment's hesitation. He reached up to his face and pulled out the coloured contacts. Katie gasped. His right eye was like a sapphire and it wasn't as light a blue as her own or Alex's, yet not as deep a blue as the ocean. His left eye was like an emerald.

"They're beautiful. Why hide something so pretty?"

"It's not natural. Why wouldn't I hide it?"

"I see your point. But why brown?"

"It made the most sense since I've got brown hair."

Ryder felt safe with Katie knowing about his secrets. Well, most of them. She didn't need to know about the sunburn, or him not eating for a while, or the incident with the elevator. He trusted her with his life. And he couldn't find it in himself to care.

* * *

I know, I know, it was OOC. But it was also reasonable given the circumstances. Next chapter's going to be the last, I'm afraid. Hopefully, everyone's really enjoyed the story as much as I had fun typing it :]

~*MegaMon2580*~


	7. Cuddles (Jake)

As I said before, this is the last chapter of the story. The next "chapter" will be my thank you's and the such because all of you deserve something! You guys made this all possible. Anyway, onwards with the story!

* * *

"Thanks for the help, Ryder," Jake said as Ryder and his pups finished fixing the chairlift so it was safer for everyone.

"No problem. Whenever you're in trouble, just yelp for help!" Ryder responded.

The sun was going down over the horizon, and Ryder felt awful. His head was pounding, his stomach was aching, and his nose was getting stuffy. It was a good thing that the pups and Ryder were going to stay at Jake's mountain chalet for the night. Ryder didn't think that he could drive his ATV back safely. The pups went inside the chalet to a guest bedroom where they were going to spend the night.

Later on, it was just Ryder and Jake awake and the two boys sat outside to look at the stars.

"I remember when this town was dark. No lights, no businesses, nothing. Just City Hall and the train station. But then the town began to grow. More people came to live here, more businesses came in, and more lights. They were all lit but one building. It was the old fireman's tower from back in the old days," Jake said before pausing to look at Ryder.

The younger boy had his coloured contacts out, his blue and green eyes proudly shown to the world. His brown hair was still spiked up, but it wasn't as spiked as usual. Jake could tell there was something off about him, but he continued on with his story. He knew Ryder would tell him something when he was ready.

"But then you came. You went to that tower and saw more than a building. You saw a home. A home that now houses six pups and a team who will get pretty much any job done. But that's all I know. Wanna help me fill in the blanks?"

Ryder sighed softly and opened his mouth to speak.

"It wasn't all like that. At first, I saw what you saw. An old fireman's tower on the top of the hill. But I was an odd boy. Ya know, two different coloured eyes, the intelligence of an adult, kicked out of his own home because he loved another boy…"

Ryder trailed off. What could he even say?

"But when I met Chase, I just knew that that tower could be a home. And it did. He and I cleaned it up and redecorated it. We didn't add the technology until Marshall came along and we didn't add the pup houses turning into vehicles until Skye."

Ryder closed his eyes. He knew he had to tell Jake he was sick, but with all of the experience with his father, he didn't want to.

"And with Rocky, Zuma, and Rubble, they were more additions to the team. After not being able to not get you out of that snowbank, I knew there was a chance we couldn't get you out, but Rubble fixed that for us. I knew we would need him again, and we do. Pretty much every mission.

"With Everest, I just knew that, after almost losing you in the Arctic, I knew she would know what to do if the pups or I couldn't be there. You're the older brother I've never had. Tracker, well, it's kind of the same thing like with Everest, but with Carlos. I can't stand to lose him or you. It'd crush me."

Jake wrapped an arm around him. It was then he could feel the heat radiating off of the younger boy's frame. Jake narrowed his eyes in concern.

"You feeling okay, Ryder? You feel really warm," Jake told him.

"Yeah, I'm-"

"Don't lie to me."

Ryder sighed.

"No, I'm not okay," Ryder confessed.

"Were you going to tell me?"

"I dunno."

"Well, in any case, we need to get you inside and in bed."

Ryder nodded. Words were slipping from the big brain of his. It would have been scary if he were anywhere else. Once he was in his pyjamas and wrapped up in blankets, Jake got up to leave, but Ryder caught his sleeve. He tugged slightly, hoping the older boy got the message.

"Yeah, Ryder. I'll stay."

Ryder smiled. He was out like a light moments later.

When he woke up gasping due to a nightmare, the older boy was there.

"What's wrong?" Jake asked.

Ryder didn't respond. He simply hugged Jake tightly, to which the hug was returned not even a split second later. Tears spilt down his cheeks, but Jake wiped them all away. Ryder eventually cuddled up next to Jake and fell asleep, his head on his shoulder. And there wasn't a nightmare in sight.

Ryder knew he had asked for help, but he already trusted Jake. He was the one he came to tell him anything. He was the one who accepted him for loving another boy. He was the one who he'd told everything to.

And Jake trusted him to help him when he needed it.

* * *

GAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH! THE FEELS! How was the finale of the story? Good? Bad? Meh? Lemme know! And yes, I know that, technically, Ryder doesn't have a boyfriend or girlfriend, but I made it so that he has one. It'll make more sense once I post the PAW Patrol origins story I've been writing.

Welp, I'm off to write more of that story. Expect the thank you "chapter" to be up in a few hours :]. Till next time!

~*MegaMon2580*~


	8. Authors Note (Big Thank You to Everyone)

Wowie! Seven days and seven chapters! Well, this one's eight, but you get the point.

I'd like to thank 'Hauchen' as well as 'amilia13' for all of their wonderful reviews. Every chapter always made me want to see what you two had to write for a review. They always made me smile too :]

I was so afraid to post this story since, at the time, PAW Patrol didn't have many stories. The fandom had maybe 35 or so when I looked. But, that was a couple of years ago. When I checked back recently, there were around 1.3k stories for the fandom. It boggles the mind to think of how much has changed since then. I couldn't believe it, but here we are.

And to those who read the story but didn't review, you guys are just as important! Your views on the story made my heart soar! I've had a tough few days from people picking on me to going to a funeral for someone who was semi-close to me and my family, so reading everyone's reviews and seeing how many views this story had made me so, so happy.

Again, thank you all so, so much! Hopefully, that origins story comes out sometime this week, so be on the lookout ;]

Goodbye for now!

~*MegaMon2580*~


	9. HUGE UPDATE! (An Apology, Really)

UPDATE!

So, I know I had said sometime that week, but obviously, that didn't happen. Now, it's almost four months later. I sincerely apologise for the wait! Go ahead and yell at me, I'd understand. Believe me, I yelled at myself. I've literally been spending the four months catching up with school-work and life's drama. As soon as school had ended, I got sick, so that took a week. But, I'm back in action! The first chapter of the origins story will be up in a little bit! The story is called "L'Histoire de Nous", which is French for "The Story of Us". There are some slight differences from these one-shots and the story itself.

For one, in chapter seven "Cuddles", Ryder had said that "But when I met Chase, I just knew that that tower could be a home. And it did. He and I cleaned it up and redecorated it. We didn't add the technology until Marshall came along and we didn't add the pup houses turning into vehicles until Skye." This isn't so much the case. The Lookout was a home to Ryder before meeting Chase. As for the rest of it, you'll have to see why it's different (can't have any spoilers, can I?). That seems to be the only thing that I have to really clear up...

As I said above, the first chapter will be up in a little bit. I'll see you over there shortly!

~MegaMon2580~


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